Better when we're together
by MickeyMooseCaramel
Summary: Todoroki Shouto is his first, best and greatest friend and that will never change. AU: Where the Midoriyas are neighbours with the Todorokis instead of the Bakugous
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: I do no own Hero Academia

Crossposted on ao3

* * *

Izuku met his best friend when his family had to move address due to his dad's job.

Many children were playing in the kindergarten's playground, smiling with wonder as they showed their quirks to one another-Izuku couldn't wait for the day when he will get his- yet in the midst of a all, a bi-coloured hair boy sat alone in a corner.

The bicoloured haired boy seemed to be practicing his ice ability but Izuku noticed him sneaking glances at Izuku – or rather sneaking glances at the awesome All Might's figurine in his hands.

With a smile, Izuku approached the boy.

"Hi, I'm Izuku." He said, causing the boy to look at him in surprise.

"Shouto." The boy whispered.

"So Shouto. Do you like All Might?"

Shouto replied with a wide smile as he nodded.

* * *

As he was walking back home with his mum, he realized that Shouto was also walking the same way.

It turned out that Izuku's new house was next to Shouto. Resulting in them inviting Shouto's family to come over, though only Shouto, his mum and his sister came.

Izuku learnt that Shouto was an All Might fanboy, which was amazing since Izuku was one as well. Shouto's quirk was also awesomely amazing, the power to use fire and ice was super cool and his father being Endeavor was super awesome... Until Izuku saw bruises on his friend.

"Shou-chan. Where did you get those from?" He asked, concerned remembering how Shouto's made pained noises as he fell on those bruises when they played tag.

"Father made me train." Shouto said as tears started brimming from his eyes. Seeing Shouto sad made Izuku sad so when Shouto started crying, he hugged his friend and started crying as well.

"I-I don't want to do it and I don't want to b-be a hero like him." Shouto said between sobs.

"Don't worry Shou-chan. When I get my quirk, I'll be a hero and I'll protect Shou-chan."

* * *

It turned out that Izuku wasn't going to protect anyone. His hopeful world shattered the moment the doctor said he would never have a quirk.

When he reached home, Shouto was waiting for him. Somehow Shouto seemed to know what was wrong, ran to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Shou-chan… The doctor said I don't have a quirk." It went unsaid that he probably couldn't be a hero without one.

"It's okay Izuku, you can still be a hero, I'll punch the shit out of anyone who says you can't." Shouto reassured and somehow it made Izuku felt way better.

"Shou-chan. You said a bad word."

"Ehhh – my father says it all the time."

Somehow his tears turned to giggles as he hugged Shouto back.

His mum, who was also depressed for his sake when she drove him home, hugged him and Shouto as they were still laughing.

It was a soft whisper but he could hear her say, "Thank you Shouto-kun."

* * *

When Shouto got hospitalized after Shouto's mum splashed boiling water over his face, Izuku did not know what to do so he cried next to his friend's bedside.

Shouto woke up to his noise, patted his head and Izuku couldn't help but latch onto Shouto with a powerful hug, causing them both to cry.

It took a while before they both calmed down.

Shouto told Izuku how he heard his mum said she didn't want to raise him anymore, that his face was hideous before throwing boiling water at him when she saw him eavesdropping. Then in a second of thoughtlessness, Shouto moved his hand to his bandaged left side and tore it away to revealed the now blackened skin.

"I-Izuku. Am I h-hideous?" Shouto asked, his voice trembling.

True, the skin was burned, and to others it might look scary, but to Izuku, Shouto was still Shouto. The Shouto who he called Shou-chan, the Shouto was kind, brave and the Shouto who was his irreplaceable friend.

"No way. Shou-chan can never be hideous to me. Besides, I think Shou-chan looks super cool now. You know how some heroes have scars that look super cool?"

His answer caused Shouto to cry and pulled him into a strong embrace which he returned with fervour.

"F-father said that mum's not going to be home anymore, that she has to be in a hospital for the insane. Izuku – I don't want to live with father – I don't want to be like him. I hate him."

"Shou-chan. That's easy. You can just live with us."

Immediately after he told his mum what happened in the Todoroki household, she bursted into tears, hugged Shouto, then took him home with them.

* * *

Izuku realized it wasn't as easy as he'd imagined when the door burst opened as they were having dinner.

Endeavour stormed in with an enraged look, demanding that they returned Shouto to him.

His mum walked without fear and glared at the no.2 hero. Izuku and Shouto were doing the same, though they were using his mum's legs as shield.

"Mr. Endeavour, you may not know, but I come from a family of lawyers and judges. I even used to be one myself before I became pregnant with Izuku."

Endeavour puffed, as if telling her to reach a point. What did Endeavour knows anyway – he's just a rude puffball with a strange beard.

"My brother is the head of the Supreme Court of Japan. You may be a famous hero, but this case calls up charges of domestic violence from spousal abuse to child abuse. And you can be sure that if I take this to court, you can kiss your hero career goodbye. The only reason I haven't done that was out of respect for your past philanthropic works. So you will leave Shouto-kun in my care and leave my house." His mum said with a definite tone and Izuku thought she was nearly as cool as All Might.

Endeavour looked ready to explode but he was powerless before the judicial might of Midoriya Inko, and all he could do was stomp out of their house.

As the door closed, Izuku gave Shouto the loudest high five and cheered.

* * *

They slept in the same room for two years before Izuku's mum decided that the bed was too small and that Shouto should have his own room as well.

Shouto was amazing to live with. He was everything Izuku wanted in a friend. They played together, watched heroes clips together then analysed heroes together – though it often ended up being Shouto giving Izuku's endless praises for his hindsight whilst Izuku could do nothing but blush furiously.

But Izuku's quirklessness gave him a lack of self esteem and many times gave him doubts. The most severe one during a trip to Tokyo national museum.

There was another school there as well. And Izuku could see that Kaito, a boy in his class was being ganged upon by three boys and was on the verge of tears.

Unable to stop himself, Izuku immediately moved in between them.

The blonde boy in the centre of the group moving towards them smirked as his hand sizzled like as dynamite fuse.

"I-I won't let you hurt him anymore!" Izuku shouted, but that sizzling fist was scary and he couldn't stop his body from shaking in fear.

He was pushed to the wall by the blonde boy, who then pulled out his name card, which were given to everyone in case they got lost and read.

"So…. Deku, after all that talk. Are you gonna do anything?" The blonde boy said and Izuku wanted to tell him what an idiot he was – being unable to _read_ and all, but he was still too scared so all he could do war glare.

"No, huh? Well here's something that I'll do to useless upstarts like you-" The blonde boy said, raising his fist, striking it down. Izuku shouldn't have left Shouto to wander alone into the Science section. He closed his eyes to ready himself for the impact but it never name.

Opening his eyes, Izuku saw the blonde boy's wrist being tightly gripped by Shouto.

He had never seen Shouto so angry. The glare Shouto directed at Endeavour when he demanded Shouto to return with him was nothing compared to the glare directed at the blonde boy.

"What do you think you're doing." Shouto spoke in a freezing tone.

"Punch him of course, you shitface dumbass." The blonde boy returned and his fist started sizzling, but before it could sizzled anymore, Shouto used him quirk a froze his hand earning surprised look from the blonde boy and his minions.

Luckily by then, the commotion they created caused the teachers to come over and stopped them before they caused any property damage.

"Are you alright?" Shouto asked after the teachers allowed them to leave and Izuku could only nod.

"What's the matter?" His friend asked again, his voice was gentle and Izuku felt it was okay to tell him all his worries.

"Shou-chan. When the blonde boy was going to punch me, I just froze. I couldn't do anything. Can someone quirkless like me really be a hero?" Izuku said, his voice shaking.

"You can." Shouto replied, moving his hands to grasp Izuku's, squeezing them tight. "Without Izuku I wouldn't be here. If Izuku weren't here, I'd still be with my dad who would have said that these trips were useless and wouldn't let me come. To me, Izuku's already a hero." Shouto's reply sent warm reassurances through him, and even though he wanted to tell Shouto that it was his mum who helped and not him, all he could say was "Thank you."

Shouto smiled, shook his head and said, "No, it's Thank you."

Of course he was chided by Shouto afterwards for putting himself in danger like that. One thing led to another and before he knew it, Izuku was forced into improving his physical condition.

Whilst Endeavour was a horrible father, he was still determined to make Shouto stronger than All Might, as shown by the large amount of fitness, martial arts and quirk control course brochures that he had been sending them. Those brochures were a menace that gave Shouto various options to choose from.

"But Shou-chan!" Izuku wailed and received a unimpressed look from his friend.

"Izuku, villains aren't going to fall over after you shout statistics and their weaknesses at them."

Shouto then went on to point out that if Izuku wanted to be a hero, he should at least learn how to actually fight.

"And I want to train as well. Are you going to let me go to these courses alone?" Shouto asked, giving Izuku a determined look – one which Izuku always agreed to.

"F-fine. I'll go with Shou-chan."

Looking back, Izuku didn't know how he could've survived without all the martial arts and fitness training that Shouto forced him to join.

* * *

Izuku saw Shouto used him flames when they were little, but he'd never seen Shouto used them again after Shouto moved in with them nine years ago. The cause clearly was Endeavour's fire power, but Shouto's flames had nothing to do with Endeavour's, but if Shouto didn't want to use them, Izuku wasn't going to force him.

Still, Izuku was grateful for Shouto's flame, especially during their school trip to Okinawa.

They were playing in the sea, when an unexpected giant wave appeared.

Tenko-kun was the only one in their class who couldn't swim, so he was wearing a large blow up ring as he played with everyone else – a blowup ring that was somehow floating away after the giant wave.

Izuku probably would be told off by Shouto afterwards but he couldn't help himself. He swam to the deep waters, grabbed the floating ring, put in back on Tenko-kun and pushed him towards the shore.

He did not expect another giant wave to come to drown away all his sights.

At least Tenko-kun seemed to have reached the shore and at least he heard Shouto shouting his name before everything went dark.

He woke to find Shouto's tearful face, but before any thought could come to mind, he was coughing up seawater.

Izuku looked at Shouto, whose eyes were filled with desperation and joy. Izuku wanted to say something, but before he could, his lips connected with Shouto's, sending jolts of fireworks through his body from the sweet sensation. And within moments, he was in Shouto's embrace.

"What were you thinking? You could've died!" Shouto said, his voice trembling.

"I'm sorry Shou-chan." He hugged back. "Tenko-kun needed help and I couldn't help myself."

"You're such an idiot Izuku." And Izuku could only laugh.

Apparently, they were stuck on this small island until the tides recede or until some hero appear to help them. It was raining, and the trees couldn't shield them from the could winds.

They were hugging for warmth but Izuku shivering couldn't stop, perhaps it was the tiredness from fainting earlier.

He was suddenly engulfed by warmth before he knew it. Shouto's left side was on fire, but it wasn't hot, it was warm and soft like Shouto.

"Shou-chan. You're using it." He said the obvious, but the obvious was surprising then.

"Yeah." Shouto said as he looked at his burning left hand. "I didn't want to use it. It didn't want to use his powers. You were always telling me what my mum used to say - that it's my power, but you never pushed me to use it. I don't want to use this power for him, but if it's for you…."

Izuku smiled as he looked at Shouto.

"It's not his and you're not him. Your mum's right. This power is yours and Shou-chan will always be Shou-chan."

"Thank you. Izuku. For everything." Shouto said, looking at him with those warm eyes.

Help came soon after that. Though Izuku didn't understand what Shouto meant when he said "The things I did earlier, I absolutely meant it."

* * *

They did not have the chance to talk much after the trip to Okinawa.

The day after they returned to Tokyo, the muddy villain attacked Izuku.

All might saved him then made him sad by telling him to have realistic dreams. Then Izuku's tendency to help people before he thinks through things occurred and he ended up failing in trying to save an eerily familiar blonde hair boy before All Might saved them both from the muddy villain.

It ended with All Might telling Izuku that he wanted Izuku to inherit his One For All quirk, causing Izuku to spill more tears than he remembered spilling. But being told that he could become a hero by the hero he looked up to all his life would so such things.

When he returned home, his mum told him that Shouto was out. He wanted to tell Shoutouts what happened, so that Shouto, worrywart that he was, won't be too worried, but he was incredibly tired and the softness of his bed immediately drew him to slumber.

All Might assessed his physique when they met the next day and decided his was physically fit enough for One For All. The strange thing happened when All Might made Izuku eat a string of his hair – but it was All Might so Izuku believed him.

He felt the rush of strength appearing later on that day, though All Might told him not to use it until he became more physically fit – lest he hurt himself in the process.

His school was on holiday, so he spent the week after waking up at 5am and trained with All Might until the end of the day. His packed schedule somehow resulted in a week of not seeing Shouto.

When he was about to leave, Shouto appeared, looking more depressed than Izuku had ever seen.

"Izuku, are you still angry about what I did in Okinawa?" Shouto asked and Izuku had no idea what he was talking about.

"I-If you don't feel the same then it's fine but please don't ignore me. Please don't hate me." Shouto said.

"Shou-chan. What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that I like you, but it's fine if you don't feel the same." Somehow, it seemed as if dark clouds appeared over Shouto's head as he said the last part.

"What are you talking about Shou-chan. I like Shou-chan too. Shou-chan's my best friend."

"I don't mean that kind of like."

"What do you m-"

Before Izuku could finish his sentence, Shouto's lips were on his. It was a sensation that Izuku never felt before, their first kiss was desperate and wanting, but this kiss was so soft and so sweet, it was somehow so perfect.

Their lips parted, but his eyes were still on Shouto's, just like Shouto's gaze determinedly remained on his. Izuku's hand slowly moved to Shouto's face, caressing it gently as if he'd never seen it before. Shouto's face looked filled with apprehension and worry, though the hint of hope in his eyes made Izuku smile.

Izuku realized then that he wanted Shouto. That he wanted to touch him, wanted to possess him and wanted to be closer and closer to him.

"Shou-chan. I think I like Shou-chan like that too."

"Then will you be my boyfriend?"

"If Shou-chan would have me."

Then they were gravitating towards one another once more as if pulled by an unexplainable phenomenon.

Shouto's bicoloured orbs mesmerized and hypnotized Izuku to move his hand to Shouto's face, yet Shouto quickly grabbed them. Shouto gently squeezed Izuku's hand as his face slowly descend towards them. Soon his soft lips were softly caressing Izuku's fingers.

Their faces soon gravitated towards one another, as if forced by a unexplained phenomenon. Izuku's nose touched Shouto's and he could feel the warmth of Shouto's breath on his lips.

Shouto's face slowly moved closer to Izuku before he planted a gentle kiss on Izuku's lips. Shouto's hands were still gently squeezing his as if he would never let go.

Izuku looked at Shouto as they moved apart. The smile of Shouto's face told him them everything was going to be fine.

* * *

Shouto depression turned of to be a misunderstanding on his part. And whilst Shouto said he made it quite clear during the Okinawa trip that he liked Izuku by kissing him, and telling him he meant it afterwards, it wasn't clear to Izuku, he thought Shouto was giving him CPR, plus he was very dizzy then.

So when Izuku was disappearing early in the morning and coming back later in the night, Shouto had apparently thought that Izuku didn't want to see him as a friend or anything anymore – as if Izuku would do something like that to him. Seriously.

All Might did imply that the One For All should be kept a secret but this was Shouto. They lived together, do nearly everything together and their now dating, besides it's not as if Izuku could keep anything from Shouto so he ended up spilling everything.

Shouto ended up following him to see All Might.

Izuku thought All Might would be angry, but he listened to the explanation from the two of them - how they always helped one another, stood by one another and how they were going to be heroes together – then laughed.

"Hahaha! What intense scorching young love! But I can't say I dislike it!" All Might bellowed soon pulled Shouto into their training regimen as if nothing of importance had happened.

Izuku lied on the ground beside Shouto after training was over. The sun was setting, but to Izuku, this simply meant that a new dawn was approaching.

His hand intertwined with Shouto's and the soft squeeze he received told him that Shouto felt the same.

"Shou-chan. We'll be real heroes soon."

"We Will."

And when they were, nothing was going to stop them. They were better when they're together. After all, when they're together, Izuku was certain that they were invincible.

* * *

3


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimers: I do not own Hero academia.

Shouto's POV

* * *

Shouto's life filled with love and happiness ended when he was four.

He'd used to imagine whether his quirk manifest as a ice quirk like his mum or a fire quirk like some of his siblings and his father.

When his quirk manifested, he was filled with wonders, but those wonders ended when the training regime started.

It was unfair.

Why must he be the only one to train while his other siblings were allowed to play outside.

His father called playing 'useless past times,' but Shouto was filled with jealousy every time he saw his brothers and sister run and laugh as they played tag.

He complained, and he wailed yet those actions only resulted in harsher training, ending with him emptying his stomach and his mother crying near his side as she embraced his tired body.

Heroes shouldn't make people cry, they should stop people from crying.

Sometimes Shouto wondered if all heroes were like his dad, who was hailed as the No.2 hero of Japan. Did all heroes lead a double life? One which exudes confidence and care outside but was filled with petty jealousy and cruelty at the core.

Shouto would be devastated if that was the case. He was a big fan of All-Might and he really would not know what to do if All-Might actually had a personality similar to his father.

* * *

His parents were arguing about his education.

It was not a normal occurrence. His mum normally did not argue or fight against his father's decision, at least not this strongly.

Perhaps in was her vehemence, going to heights as declaring divorce if her demand was not followed that shocked him into grumpily agreeing.

So Shouto found himself at the kindergarten's entrance, filled with tens of other children.

"Be good Shouto," She said, waving to him as he walked into the playground.

Shouto felt awkward and nervous be in a place with so many people he didn't know, the feeling grew worse after his mother left. He felt as if he was left in the wilderness.

Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves, playing and showing their quirks to one another.

Shouto truly wanted to join, but he was also very afraid. He'd never had a friend before, and making one seemed to be such a difficult thing. He remembered the judging glances as other children pointed their fingers at him, talking about how his bi-coloured hair was a strange sight. Would these people find him strange as well? If they refuse his friendship, Shouto believed he might even cry.

His worries resulted in him hiding alone in a corner, creating flecks of ice and fire via his quirk to cure his boredom.

His listless glance wondered to find a newcomer at the kindergarten. His hair was the most vibrant shade of green that Shouto had ever seen, and in his right hand was the recently released All Might action figure, the one he'd seen on television but couldn't buy – as whilst his father was an adult, his jealousy was that of a child – causing all All Might's merchandises to be banned from his house.

Shouto looked at the action figure with much longing. He wanted to hold it and press the belt on the figure so that he could hear All Might's famous line.

When the boy noticed his gaze, Shouto turned away to hide his face in embarrassment, but it was too late and the boy was walking towards him.

"Hi, I'm Izuku." The boy-Izuku said, smiling, his face shining brightly like a warm sunny day.

"Shouto." He whispered, feeling uncertain how he should reply to such warmth.

"So Shouto. Do you like All Might?" Izuku said, holding out the action figure in his hand.

Shouto couldn't help but smile widely as he nodded.

Taking the offered doll, he pressed on the belt.

"It's fine now, for I am here!" Izuku bellowed the same words that came out of All Might's doll and Shouto couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

It was rather amazing how fast they became friends.

Perhaps it was the warmth and sincerity in Izuku's words that drawn him in, or perhaps it was the genuine care in Izuku's eyes when he learnt of Shouto's training that pulled him. Either way, to Shouto, Izuku was mesmerizing.

Izuku also had an encyclopediac knowledge of heroes and their quirks, and they spent most of their naptime class chatting about it, often resulting in them being told off by the teachers for disturbing other children who were trying to sleep.

Shouto supposed that Izuku's house being next door played an important role in deepening their friendship as well, considering how Shouto visited Izuku almost every day.

Like how he was ringing the door now.

He supposed the Midoriyas were outside today, seeing that no one was coming out and Mrs. Midoriya car was nowhere to be seen.

However, as he was leaving, he saw the Mrs. Midoriya car arriving.

Izuku came out of the passenger's seat, his crestfallen expression immediately telling Shouto that something was wrong.

He immediately ran to his Izuku and embraced him in a tight hug. There was only one thing that could make his Izuku brim with tears.

"Shou-chan… The doctor said I don't have a quirk." It went unsaid that that Izuku thought he couldn't be a hero anymore.

It was hard to be a hero in a world where the majority of the population were born with special powers – there were no quirkless heroes.

Yet with the arguments from his ingrained logic, Shouto desperately believed if someone could be a hero without a quirk, it was Izuku. Power was a measure of heroics, yet there were things more important. Kindness and willingness to help were much more important factors in heroics to Shouto's eyes, and Izuku had limitless amount of those qualities.

"It's okay Izuku, you can still be a hero, I'll punch the shit out of anyone who says you can't." Shouto wouldn't let anyone hurt Izuku on his watch.

"Shou-chan. You said a bad word." Izuku chided.

"Ehhh – my father says it all the time." His reply caused Izuku to start laughing while they were hugging.

"Thank you Shouto-kun." He heard Mrs. Midoriya whispered as she came over and hugged them both.

* * *

Izuku chatted endlessly as they walked home from school, and Shouto was beyond glad that Izuku returned to his cheerful quickly after his visit to the horrible doctor.

He waved goodbye to Izuku they arrived at the Midoriya's household, then ran to his house.

He heard his mother's voice, as he neared the kitchen.

"Sometimes, Shouto's left side looks very unsightly to me." His mum said, and Shouto felt he might suddenly stop breathing. His chest hurts and he could feel tears brimming in his eyes. Why was his mother, his greatest source of comfort saying such a thing?

He wanted to run, wanted to pretend he hadn't heard the conversation, yet his legs failed him.

"Mum," he whispered. The sound caused his mum to turn, her eyes filled with anger, desperation, embarrassment and pain.

Shouto wanted to run, but the look on his mum's face paralyzed him.

She walked over to him, eyes crazed, gripped him by the shoulder and poured boiling water down the left side of his face.

Everything seemed to slow down, the water seemed to take forever before reaching his face.

He thought of his kind mum and her once kind eyes, then he thought of his kind friend, wishing he was here to make things better.

He screamed as the boiling water scorched his face and everything went black.

* * *

Shouto desperately wished that it had all been a dream.

Yet, if it was, the nightmare did not end.

He awoke to his father's stern face as he lay on the hospital bed. In a menacing voice, he told Shouto that he won't be seeing his mum anymore, that she had placed in a hospital for the mentally ill.

He tired himself to sleep screaming, shouting and crying at his father.

He was woken by Izuku's crying voice, he hated seeing his friend cry. Reaching out his hand, he patted his friend's head to calm him down, but when Izuku realized he was awoke, he immediately pulled Shouto into a hug.

Izuku's warmth in contrast to all that occurred was too much and Shouto couldn't help but start crying in Izuku's arms.

Words of what happened slowly flowed out his lips as he calmed down enough for human speech, and Izuku listened with rapt attention then gave him all the consoling he needed.

"Shou-chan, that's easy. You can live me us" Izuku said after Shouto told him how he didn't want to be like his father and did not want to live with him anymore.

But such a solution was too impractical right?

Apparently, it wasn't.

Izuku said things to Mrs. Midoriya which caused her to gasp and ran over to give him a hug.

The two then said something to the doctor and nurse in charge of him, and caused them to send him great pitying looks and before he knew it, Shouto was out of the hospital and was in the Midoriya's household having dinner.

But of course, things were not that easy.

The door burst opened with a loud bang and his father stormed inside the house, demanding Shouto to return with him.

His father still controlled his life and there was nothing he could do. Him staying here would only trouble Izuku and Mrs. Midoriya further, Shouto resolved himself to the inevitability.

Yet as he was about to move, Izuku's hand grabbed his and pulled him to hide behind Mrs. Midoriya. His friend was glaring at his father with fiercest look that Shouto had ever seen from Izuku. At that moment, he felt hope and as Mrs. Midoriya continued to speak, that hope grew.

Mrs. Midoriya invoked her invisible judicial authority and her powers of connections and it scared his father into leaving. His father, who always got what he wanted, was forced to retreat by words alone. At that moment, Mrs. Midoriya couldn't have been more heroic.

* * *

Time flies when you're happy or so the saying goes and Shouto's time soared.

He couldn't seem to imagine a day without Izuku anymore, he needed Izuku's warm protection and hoped that he could give Izuku the same security.

Yet despite his efforts, the name calling and bullying seemed worse as Izuku grew older. Shouto stopped all physical pains, but he knew emotional pains were the hardest to deal with.

It wasn't as if all quirks made people stronger. The boy with the turtle shell attached to his back had no right to call Izuku names, not when his quirk made him slower and more useless than the average person, yet standards says quirkless people were weaker than those with quirks.

The worst case was during Tokyo national museum, when Izuku's kindness got him in trouble – again.

When the blonde boy was going to punch Izuku, something dark in Shouto blazed. If the teachers had not stopped them from fighting, Shouto might have even used his fire side from the anger – the side he'd kept unused for so long.

It was then that Shouto decided that if Izuku's dream were to come true, he would need actual combat training, for as intelligent as Izuku was, villains were not going to fall by Izuku's shouting.

There were lots of combat classes brochures that his father sent – as he couldn't train Shouto personally anymore, and they were quite useful in this instance.

Izuku refused at first, but when the phrase 'don't you want to be a hero' popped up, he couldn't help but agree to the aikido and other martial art classes Shouto suggested.

The bullying came to a halt when another boy, whose name Shouto couldn't care less about, tried to attack Shouto, only to be thrown on his back. That satisfied Shouto to no end, even though Izuku chided him that wishing harm on others was not a heroic thought.

* * *

And as much as Shouto admired Izuku's tenacity towards heroics, he wished that Izuku could reduce his recklessness to a bare minimum, if only to stop Shouto's heart from overbeating.

But nooo. Izuku had to help another boy in their class who couldn't swim, when he was swept away by a sudden large wave. He swam to the floating ring that the boy lost, put it on him and pushed him back near the shore where teachers were running to help.

Another large wave approached and Shouto started running.

A crash resonated as the wave broke, swallowing Izuku and Shouto.

In desperation, he tried to find Izuku. Somehow within the darkness of the seas, their hands connected, and using all his strength, Shouto pulled Izuku near.

When his head finally got out of the water, he realized Izuku was unconscious and they were pulled away quite far from the beach. The nearest land being a small island and rainclouds were approaching.

Quickly making his decision, Shouto formed an ice pathway from where they were to the island. Struggling, he pushed Izuku onto the ice before climbing up onto it.

He was incredibly tired, but luckily, Izuku was light. And using what was left of his strength, he lifted Izuku onto his back and hurried to the island's beach, desperate as he heard Izuku made troubled breathing noises.

Shouto laid Izuku on the beach, and in desperation, Shouto pumped Izuku's chest, tears falling at the thought that anything might happen to Izuku.

When Izuku's eyes opened, and the green haired boy started coughing out seawater, Shouto was beyond relieved.

He couldn't imagine what he would do, if something happened to Izuku. Izuku who was always so kind, warm and filled with heroism.

In that instant, reasonable approach disappeared as he slammed his lips to Izuku's. It was not a good kiss – Shouto was certain, but it was one filled with desperation, need, desire and fear and at that moments, words could not describe the emotions that bubbled through him.

Pulling Izuku into an embrace, he hoped Izuku understood his feelings. "You're such an idiot, Izuku." Was all he could manage then.

He would chide Izuku more about his reckless behavior, but the rain started falling and coconut trees were rather useless in shielding them from the downpour.

Izuku was shivering, and Shouto thought about his fire side, something he had not thought about in a long long time.

It was a mark that bonded him to his father, a remembrance of what happened with his mum and Shouto never wanted to use it again. But if he were to be a hero, using it would be necessary, especially if he wanted to protect Izuku.

Izuku who was always so kind to him, Izuku who was always there in times of pain and in times of happiness.

Izuku who Shouto wouldn't mind using his fire side for.

He used it to warm himself and Izuku, and when Izuku realized what he'd done, the smile Shouto received from him was a priceless one.

* * *

After their trip, Shouto had not yet confirmed with Izuku about the things that occurred, about Shouto's feeling towards Izuku. Perhaps it was his own cowardice, in fear that Izuku might reject him – and rejection from Izuku was something he couldn't take.

Shouto was slowly building up his courage, yet the day after they returned from the Okinawa trip, the slime villain attack happened – and Izuku seemed to leave home early in the morning and only return late at night.

A rebellious part of his mind whispered that Izuku was avoiding him, that Izuku wouldn't want anything to do with someone like Shouto. And try as he might to disagree, he hadn't talked much with Izuku lately.

But the event that occurred in Okinawa along with the villain attack at least taught Shouto one thing. That life was fragile, and within moments, there are possibilities that the ones you love might be gone.

He thought about his mother, his kind mother who he should've forgiven long ago.

* * *

Shouto didn't know how long he stood in front of his mother's room.

He took a deep breath for courage, knocked and entered.

It was a small en suite room, but it was pristinely kept. His mum sat near the window, turning as he entered, revealing surprise.

"S-Shouto." She said, eyes widened. Her surprise made him guilty, he should've come long ago, no matter what she did, she was one of the few people who truly loved him.

"Sorry… Sorry that I never visited. Sorry that I didn't come sooner." He muttered, face facing the floor.

He only realized his mum had stood up only when he had been pulled into a hug, he could feel the warm moisture on his shoulder.

"Oh Shouto." She said through her tears. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. For never taking you away from that man, for never taking actions, for only watching because I was scared what he would do."

"No. Mum, It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault" He said as he hugged her back, telling her how much he'd missed her through their embrace.

Once they got passed the tears, his mum was as warm, witty, kind and funny as ever.

She'd apparently heard how he was now living with the Midoriyas from his siblings, but even they did not know the details of how it truly happened. And his mum laughed herself to tears and he told him how Mrs. Midoriya used her connections to the judicial court to force his father out of the house.

"You truly love him don't you? That boy Izuku." She said, startling him. Shouto had not even mentioned to her about his feelings for Izuku.

"H-how." He asked, a little distressed by her knowing.

"It's the way your eyes shine a little brighter when mentioning him and the way your lips curve upward when you seem to think of him," She replied knowingly.

"And you don't mind that it's a he?" His questioned caused his mum to giggle.

"I don't think I'm in any position to judge people on their preferences and choices, seeing that I married your father. I know I was pressured, it in the end, it was my choice to marry him."

Since she not knew what was happening, Shouto decided to tell her everything, including his dilemma about what had been happening recently.

"I think he might be angry at me for kissing him without his consent. Or maybe he doesn't want to stay with me anymore."

His mum laughed at his words, and Shouto sent her a betrayed look.

"Now that's the silliest thing you've said. From everything you've told me, Izuku doesn't seem like someone who'll avoid problems, he seems like someone who'll face it head on. Besides, you said you two were still talking normally on your way back to Tokyo, right?" He nodded.

"Are you sure that this isn't some misunderstanding on your part?" She asked and it made a lot of sense. He supposed he had been avoiding Izuku as he was building up courage. Then Izuku was always home lately, and was asleep so quickly as well.

She was right. His Izuku wouldn't escape a problem, he would always tackle it head on.

"Thank you, mum. I'll be back." He said, giving her another hug.

"Bring him to see me when you start dating okay?" She said, giggling as she saw the blush on his face.

* * *

He resorted to waking up at 4am to catch Izuku as he was about the leave the house.

Deep down, he knew Izuku would never hurt him, but actually confronting the problems and his own feelings still made him nervous.

It was a big misunderstanding like his mum said. And when Izuku returned his kiss, Shouto thought he was the happiest man in the world.

Initially, Izuku seemed hesitant about what was happening but in the end, he decided to tell Shouto everything – "We're boyfriends now, and lovers shouldn't have secrets," were the exact words Izuku said and it filled Shouto's stomach with butterflies.

Shouto could not have been more surprised to know All-Might quirk was a quirk that could be transferred between individuals. He was less surprise that Izuku would be the next inheritor, after all, he knew no one else more heroic than Izuku.

He decided to follow his boyfriend to the beach, seeing his worried expression as he mumbled how All-Might might be angry about him spilling secrets.

But it turned out that All-Might was as heroic on the inside as he was on the outside. And before he knew it, Shouto was also inducted into the training schedule.

Izuku lied on the ground beside Shouto. The sun was setting, but to Shouto, it meant a new dawn was approaching.

His hand intertwined with Izuku's and the soft squeeze he received told him that Izuku felt the same.

"Shou-chan. We'll be real heroes soon." Izuku said.

"We will." Shouto reaffirmed.

And when there were, nothing was going to stop them. They were better when they're together. After all, when they're together, Shouto was certain that they were invicible.

* * *

I love them both so muchhh 3

Love you too :)


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